Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial shows
A trial in 11 countries found the cancer jab amivantamab shrank or erased tumours in some patients with hard-to-treat head and neck cancer.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Doctors say a triple-action cancer jab produced unusually strong results in patients whose tumours had stopped responding to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In a 102-patient trial, 15 saw their tumours disappear entirely, and the drug is now being tested widely across other cancers.
A group of doctors tested a cancer medicine that is given as a small shot under the skin. In some people, the cancer got smaller, and in some people it went away completely.
The medicine works like a three-part lockpick: it blocks one signal cancer uses to grow, blocks another signal cancer uses to escape, and helps the body's defenders notice the tumour.
That matters because some cancers are very hard to treat once usual medicine stops working. For those patients, this shot could be another tool in the toolbox, like finding a new way to fix a broken machine.
Analysis
What the trial found
An international trial across 11 countries tested amivantamab in 102 patients with head and neck cancer whose disease had spread or returned and no longer responded to standard treatment. Researchers said more than a third of patients saw their tumours shrink, and in 15 cases the tumours disappeared completely. The changes were reported within weeks.
Why doctors are calling it important
Prof Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research said the responses were unusually strong in people who had already failed chemotherapy and immunotherapy. That matters because this group has very limited options and, in many cases, poor survival once standard treatment stops working. The article says patients given amivantamab lived a median of 12.5 months overall after starting treatment.
How the drug works
Amivantamab, developed by Johnson & Johnson, is described as a triple-action treatment. It blocks EGFR, which helps tumours grow, blocks MET, which cancer cells can use to dodge treatment, and also helps stimulate the immune system. Unlike many cancer therapies, it is given as a small injection under the skin every three weeks, rather than through an IV drip. The report says side-effects were usually mild to moderate, and fewer than one in 10 patients stopped treatment because of them.
Who may benefit
The trial focused on head and neck cancers that did not include HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Researchers said that is important because non-HPV head and neck cancers are often harder to treat. The article also says similar results have been seen in lung cancer, and the drug is being studied in about 60 clinical trials for several cancers, including colorectal, brain, and gastric cancer.
Key points
- A trial in 11 countries tested amivantamab in 102 patients with head and neck cancer.
- More than a third of patients had tumours shrink, and 15 had complete disappearance of their tumours.
- Doctors said the strongest benefits were seen in patients whose cancer no longer responded to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
- The drug is given as an under-the-skin injection every three weeks, which is simpler than an IV drip.
- Researchers said the results could matter especially for hard-to-treat, non-HPV head and neck cancers.
